I just listened to the second half of my highschool's first round state basketball game. In the game before theirs, favorite and 3-time reigning champion Braham lost to Maple River, another school down in my area. GFW looked like it had a good chance at winning a state title if it could get past Pequot Lakes, but they lost 57-40. It sounded like they had some unusual circumstances, a great guard getting injured and unable to return and their leading scorer and my best friend's younger brother had a foul mistakenly called on him late in the game. He fouled out but ended up with 19 of their 40 points. Pequot Lakes will most likely move onto the title, and I am flat out depressed, we were good enough to win.
In the office today I summarized some information for a Member, organized a staffer's background information and spent a lot of time waiting. We also had a briefing on Avian influenza, basically what we heard was:
the US is totally safe
cooking chicken at 165 degrees kills avian influenza
avian influenza is a respiratory disease, so even if infected meat would make it past all of our safety checkpoints, the odds of getting infected is very slim even if you ingested it.
Gabe and I also had the privilege to get a professional picture taken on the balcony with the Chairman, I will post that when I get it.
I'm on on the patio again, but I think it's about to rain, its a gorgeous 65 degrees. My parents and Jacob arrive tomorrow, so that means I need to clean my room and wash clothes. Most likely no post tomorrow as I will be showing the "tourists" the town.
3/21/07
Still Turning People Down
I unfortunately did not see another band nominated for vocalist of the year award today (p.s. credit to Garrett for finding that reception for us), but I did see my sister. She has been out here since Sunday and will remain with her program until Friday night, and then join my parents and brother Saturday morning to stay with them until they leave Tuesday afternoon. I was able to give her the tour of the committee's offices, hearing rooms and the Chairman's personal office while she killed some time after her appointments with her various Congressmen. She made the mistake of eating lunch in Cannon Carryout, which is basically just burgers, fries, and sandwiches, and missing out on the great cafeteria in Longworth and the good cafeteria in Rayburn. Rookie mistake, she'll learn.
Earlier in the day, we held a hearing for the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture about rural development in the upcoming Farm Bill. The interns worked the door, and hopefully turned away hopeful viewers for the final time as our main committee room receives its final touches.
The rest of the day I spent finishing drafting a letter to follow up on some questions some Congressmen had during a recent Energy Research briefing for the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, and getting the subsequent signatures from the three signatories of the letter.
Earlier in the day, we held a hearing for the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development and Foreign Agriculture about rural development in the upcoming Farm Bill. The interns worked the door, and hopefully turned away hopeful viewers for the final time as our main committee room receives its final touches.
The rest of the day I spent finishing drafting a letter to follow up on some questions some Congressmen had during a recent Energy Research briefing for the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, and getting the subsequent signatures from the three signatories of the letter.
3/20/07
Oh, Canada!
So today I moved a lot of furniture, finished drafting a letter to an Under Secretary in the USDA and an Assistant Secretary in the DOE, made some binders, and moved some more furniture.
So, now let's talk about the best reception ever; held by the Embassy of Canada.
This reception was 6:30-9:30 pm, so a few of us headed over after we were done with work. It ended up being right next to the Hart Senate Building, only 4 blocks from my house. Let's see, what else is there to mention about it? Well they had some good food, including rectangular Canadian flag-shaped cookies, 6 open bars for people that were of age and they held it all in a tent in the backyard of a small museum, including carpeted floors. It seems I am forgetting something... oh yeah,
The Stanley Cup
Leslie Neilson
Emerson Drive. I forgot to mention those, and there was only a crowd of like 100. So I'm not sure if Leslie and Emerson Drive didn't pay their taxes, but they were there. And they gave me a gift bag on the way out including; a hockey puck, a cow, maple syrup, a coffee mug, mints, chocolate, and a CD. Pretty much the best reception ever. I'm off to bed after a 3 hour concert. Good night!
3/19/07
Hurry up and Wait
Mondays are always a little different as we all get back into our routine. For me, they start with 3 times as much work because all the papers we get think that we deserve the Saturday and Sunday editions. I am not complaining because its so hard to sort and throw away newspaper, or even because my 10 minute mail sorting turns into 30. What drives me crazy is that everything needs to be done right at 9:05 am.
I do not mean to single out people, but I'm sure that this happens at many workplaces. People think up all these great ideas over the weekend, then come to work Monday and try to get them out of their system as fast as they can. It has taught me to try to be early on Mondays, but after I realized being early only led to more boredom during the day it was hard to continue the habit. It is not that I had no projects in front of me or nothing to do, I just do a lot of waiting, which has kind of molded my job around a model of wait and remind.
The staff in our office have a million other things going on, so many of the projects that need to be done by noon are done by close of business or even the next day depending on how busy the staffer is.
My sister flew in yesterday on a trip through our local phone company. She called me today while outside the Department of Agriculture headquarters to ask how close I was to her, as she assumed I was inside that building. Tourists, they never learn (this is a joke for those of you who don't know my sarcasm, I was just as confused my first time out and the whole first week of this experience).
Speaking of tourists, there were protesters everywhere. They wasn't anything organized in my area, but many of the stragglers left from yesterday and this morning decided to have a look around, which is fine, but I wouldn't want to be a yes-voting war advocate when a group of them walks into my office. On my way home a stop sign had a bumper sticker slapped on it to read: STOP Funding War.
We are still moving into everything, we still have half of one large office left to unpack. I have no clue how many more people we are hiring (if any), but there is a lot of misplaced and empty furniture around. It does not help that we are putting the final touches on our conference room, 1300. It looks very state of the art, and when the sun shines in the refinishing of the wood looks great. One funny thing is that the whole room renovation was paid for by the Republicans last year, it's not that they don't get to use it, but the majority just has greater use of the room as most events that are scheduled come through the majority office.
I have a couple of projects ongoing, but nothing too time consuming. My parents and brother are coming later in the week and will be given the grand tour by yours truly.
Final side note: Good luck to the GFW Boys Basketball team as they advance to state. Another GFW connection is my aunt, a GFW grad, taking her Fairmont Girls team to State last week when the upset some very good teams, and lost by only 8 to a team with one loss.
I do not mean to single out people, but I'm sure that this happens at many workplaces. People think up all these great ideas over the weekend, then come to work Monday and try to get them out of their system as fast as they can. It has taught me to try to be early on Mondays, but after I realized being early only led to more boredom during the day it was hard to continue the habit. It is not that I had no projects in front of me or nothing to do, I just do a lot of waiting, which has kind of molded my job around a model of wait and remind.
The staff in our office have a million other things going on, so many of the projects that need to be done by noon are done by close of business or even the next day depending on how busy the staffer is.
My sister flew in yesterday on a trip through our local phone company. She called me today while outside the Department of Agriculture headquarters to ask how close I was to her, as she assumed I was inside that building. Tourists, they never learn (this is a joke for those of you who don't know my sarcasm, I was just as confused my first time out and the whole first week of this experience).
Speaking of tourists, there were protesters everywhere. They wasn't anything organized in my area, but many of the stragglers left from yesterday and this morning decided to have a look around, which is fine, but I wouldn't want to be a yes-voting war advocate when a group of them walks into my office. On my way home a stop sign had a bumper sticker slapped on it to read: STOP Funding War.
We are still moving into everything, we still have half of one large office left to unpack. I have no clue how many more people we are hiring (if any), but there is a lot of misplaced and empty furniture around. It does not help that we are putting the final touches on our conference room, 1300. It looks very state of the art, and when the sun shines in the refinishing of the wood looks great. One funny thing is that the whole room renovation was paid for by the Republicans last year, it's not that they don't get to use it, but the majority just has greater use of the room as most events that are scheduled come through the majority office.
I have a couple of projects ongoing, but nothing too time consuming. My parents and brother are coming later in the week and will be given the grand tour by yours truly.
Final side note: Good luck to the GFW Boys Basketball team as they advance to state. Another GFW connection is my aunt, a GFW grad, taking her Fairmont Girls team to State last week when the upset some very good teams, and lost by only 8 to a team with one loss.
3/16/07
Halfway There
If you think March Madness does not seep into the nation's Federal Office Buildings, you're wrong. While I of course do not know of any office pools that exist, much less would I ever be part of one as they are of course unethical, I could probably talk to someone who could talk to a "guy" who may be able to send you in the right direction. Basically, I have the scores on auto-refresh going on in the background, and peeked in the minority office at the TV as often as I could. If I were in an office pool, I'd be doing okay. Actually, on the bracket I filled out on facebook.com, I only have two wrong so far (Stanford, yeah, that was stupid of me (but so were 10 other picks I got right); and Creighton, Nevada got lucky in over time).
In the office today I attended a meeting set up by the National Pork Producers Council, which featured representatives from the whole supply chain. The panel included producers, Tyson foods, Walmart, a lobbying firm for grocery stores, a university professor and some of the board members of the NPPC. They talked about how Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL, and Voluntary COOL is VCOOL) would affect retailers, and explained that the fish industry has showed us that there is no added value for the consumers, and an average of $9,000 cost per store to implement MCOOL (with virtually no return). It was a really interesting debate, especially because the Chairman is one of the few Representatives on the Agriculture Committee to come out and support MCOOL (although he has voted for only VCOOL in the past).
Then Gabe and I went out to lunch to talk about our progress in the internship with our intern Coordinator, and to talk about how he got to where he is, and his advice for upcoming college graduates. It was really interesting information, and amazing how much the pay scale (and time dedicated to the job) jumps in just a 10 year span from a ridiculous $22,000 to close to $100,000. Once at that $100,000 level, jobs in the public sector (in the D.C. area) pay two or three times that because all those contacts you have made in your years on the hill stay the same as all your contacts take similar jobs with different firms. It's no wonder this is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
It's raining and 35 degrees with a chance of snow. Not sure what I'm up to for this weekend, but you can bet it will involve many hours in front of a television watching basketball. Today also marks the halfway point in my internship, I couldn't imagine being here for only 3 months in the summer, I feel like I have so much more to see and do.
In the office today I attended a meeting set up by the National Pork Producers Council, which featured representatives from the whole supply chain. The panel included producers, Tyson foods, Walmart, a lobbying firm for grocery stores, a university professor and some of the board members of the NPPC. They talked about how Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL, and Voluntary COOL is VCOOL) would affect retailers, and explained that the fish industry has showed us that there is no added value for the consumers, and an average of $9,000 cost per store to implement MCOOL (with virtually no return). It was a really interesting debate, especially because the Chairman is one of the few Representatives on the Agriculture Committee to come out and support MCOOL (although he has voted for only VCOOL in the past).
Then Gabe and I went out to lunch to talk about our progress in the internship with our intern Coordinator, and to talk about how he got to where he is, and his advice for upcoming college graduates. It was really interesting information, and amazing how much the pay scale (and time dedicated to the job) jumps in just a 10 year span from a ridiculous $22,000 to close to $100,000. Once at that $100,000 level, jobs in the public sector (in the D.C. area) pay two or three times that because all those contacts you have made in your years on the hill stay the same as all your contacts take similar jobs with different firms. It's no wonder this is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
It's raining and 35 degrees with a chance of snow. Not sure what I'm up to for this weekend, but you can bet it will involve many hours in front of a television watching basketball. Today also marks the halfway point in my internship, I couldn't imagine being here for only 3 months in the summer, I feel like I have so much more to see and do.
A Little Late
Yesterday was Ag. Day, and I had the opportunity to attend an event sponsered by FFA, ADM and John Deere on behalf of Agriculture Future of America(AFA). SkillsUSA partcipants also attended. The event was basically a be proud of ourselves and keep promoting agriculture event, similar to most motivational speeches by FFA Presidents at any State Convention (no offense, it is just that they are all very alike). That was at 3 pm, and I got in on a picture with Secretary Johanns along with AFA, and got back to work by 4:30. Later in the evening I headed out to supper with DC-area AFA members, Advisory Team Members and Employees at Chadwicks. Unfortunately, I went to the wrong Chadwicks. It ends up that there are actually 3 Chadwicks in the D.C. area, and two right on Wisconsin Avenue. I went to the one at Friendship Heights (thinking oh great, right across from the Metro station), but I was 3 miles away from my final Georgetown destination. So I stood in the rain waiting for a cab, and when it pulled up, there was a passenger in the back. Long story short, my 3 mile and 15 minute cab ride turned into a long ways and a lot of time. I ended up being an hour late, felt horrible, but everyone seemed to be okay with it. Originally they thought I was at the Chadwicks in Old Town Alexandria, which is a lot farther than 3 miles.
Other than that the day went smoothly. Between attending a couple of meetings and keeping an I on the basketball scores, today should be just fine.
Other than that the day went smoothly. Between attending a couple of meetings and keeping an I on the basketball scores, today should be just fine.
3/14/07
Manual Labor
I'm going to go ahead and up the ante from yesterday, a gorgeous 74 degrees at 9:51 pm. Unfortunately I was stuck inside even longer, but patience is a virtue, good things come to those who wait, and everything that goes along with it. I left the building after 8 pm, because tomorrow is the last day the contractors will be working on our main Committee room, 1300. So tonight we setup just over 50 of the 70 total 15 inch monitors the room can use during briefings, hearings, and anything else someone might use it for to show documents electronically. It is also outfitted with state of the art microphones, timers and speakers at every seat (currently we have 3 timers total, which are all about 2 inches tall, and a few dozen feet away from the Members). The paint is dry, the carpet is down, and the 70" TV is installed on the way.
I also finished sound-proofing the door I was working on a few weeks ago, and got our quotes up to date. Other than that, the excitement was when a staffer brought us food at 7:30 from a reception she attended because she felt bad for us unpacking, disassembling and reassembling 50+ (We had to take off the regular TV-type stands, and mount on tabletop brackets to sit on their desks). I'm going to try to head to bed, so I'll end this here. Tomorrow I will celebrate National Ag. Day/Week with Agriculture Future of America at USDA, and have dinner with some of them in the evening. Adios.
I also finished sound-proofing the door I was working on a few weeks ago, and got our quotes up to date. Other than that, the excitement was when a staffer brought us food at 7:30 from a reception she attended because she felt bad for us unpacking, disassembling and reassembling 50+ (We had to take off the regular TV-type stands, and mount on tabletop brackets to sit on their desks). I'm going to try to head to bed, so I'll end this here. Tomorrow I will celebrate National Ag. Day/Week with Agriculture Future of America at USDA, and have dinner with some of them in the evening. Adios.
3/13/07
2nd Amendments
I'm doing some research for a paper I am writing comparing our legislators, so I decided to do a little research on the 2nd Amendments (a bipartisan band the Chairman plays in), so of course I turned to YouTube for its superior research materials, not bad for a bunch of politicians...
National Biodiesel Conference - 2007, Brown Sugar
National Ethanol Conference - 2007, he sings in this one, I do not have enough wisdom to know what song this is
National Biodiesel Conference - 2007, Brown Sugar
National Ethanol Conference - 2007, he sings in this one, I do not have enough wisdom to know what song this is
Going to Court
Don't worry... the title is a little misleading.
Today was a day full of beautiful weather, it's currently 67 degrees with a slight breeze. I know this because I am writing from the back patio of my house, and it's absolutely perfect weather for shorts and a t-shirt. It reminds me of the end of almost every day I spent in Brazil (which was a little more than a week during this time last year). Unfortunately, I do not have the moon slightly peaking through the trees, but the alley light. You win some and you lose some.
So, while it would have been a good day to go out for a walk or hold a hearing on the National Mall, we were all inside. I am kidding, and I know we needed to stay inside, but you can always dream. Actually, if we had gone out, we would have had the inconvenience of waiting in a line to get in that stretched around the block. Of course that is because people think they can just take Spring Break and go on vacation here, making the halls and elevators a little more busy. What they don't know, is for the 3 main doors (1 at each building) everyone was trying to get in with 30 minute waits, there is at least 1 additional door at each building that no one really knows about, with no line at all. So if you're ever in line, give me a call and I can easily direct you to a faster entrance. Someday I think I am going to put together a list of do's and do not's when coming to Washington, D.C., so the test won't be until after that time.
Enough about the outdoors, inside we were busy with our Subcommittee on Department Oversight, Operations, Nutrition and Forestry subcommittee hearing. I was put at the front desk with minimal door duty, but there were many people who just never got in. By the looks of it, our large committee room should be finished near the end of the month, and fix a lot of our current headaches. I'm not sure what the conclusions of the hearing were, or really who testified (although you can read full testimony online as soon as they put it up), but as usual the USDA witnesses came in with an entourage of people, at the same time everyone else wanted to be in. Then for the second panel of witnesses, many of the people listening to the first panel leave, and no one wanted to get in anymore. If you needed to get in without waiting, you probably could have paid someone to save your spot, as there were three or four line-holders already at the door when I got to work at 9.
The rest of the day went pretty well, I entered some quotes (a job I had previously started that needs to be done every once in a while) and can proudly say we are up to over 900 quotes cataloged in our database since January 1st from the Chairman and Secretary Johanns, among other leaders in House and Senate, about anything agriculture-related.
A few of us went to a nice reception tonight, and while we were happy for the great food and refreshments, we got there right when they were starting the speeches. This turned our dine-and-dash into a support-and-stomach, as it was a smaller room and not easy to sneak out being one of the tallest people there.
I'm still outside, and will be until my battery gets low. I also found out that the Supreme Court has wireless internet on its steps, so I might wander up the street and research in front of the highest court in the land... speaking of, I just found out there is a full-size basketball court on the 3rd level of the Supreme Court (literally the highest court in the land since its on Capitol Hill), and my goal is to take (and make) a few shots before I leave.
Today was a day full of beautiful weather, it's currently 67 degrees with a slight breeze. I know this because I am writing from the back patio of my house, and it's absolutely perfect weather for shorts and a t-shirt. It reminds me of the end of almost every day I spent in Brazil (which was a little more than a week during this time last year). Unfortunately, I do not have the moon slightly peaking through the trees, but the alley light. You win some and you lose some.
So, while it would have been a good day to go out for a walk or hold a hearing on the National Mall, we were all inside. I am kidding, and I know we needed to stay inside, but you can always dream. Actually, if we had gone out, we would have had the inconvenience of waiting in a line to get in that stretched around the block. Of course that is because people think they can just take Spring Break and go on vacation here, making the halls and elevators a little more busy. What they don't know, is for the 3 main doors (1 at each building) everyone was trying to get in with 30 minute waits, there is at least 1 additional door at each building that no one really knows about, with no line at all. So if you're ever in line, give me a call and I can easily direct you to a faster entrance. Someday I think I am going to put together a list of do's and do not's when coming to Washington, D.C., so the test won't be until after that time.
Enough about the outdoors, inside we were busy with our Subcommittee on Department Oversight, Operations, Nutrition and Forestry subcommittee hearing. I was put at the front desk with minimal door duty, but there were many people who just never got in. By the looks of it, our large committee room should be finished near the end of the month, and fix a lot of our current headaches. I'm not sure what the conclusions of the hearing were, or really who testified (although you can read full testimony online as soon as they put it up), but as usual the USDA witnesses came in with an entourage of people, at the same time everyone else wanted to be in. Then for the second panel of witnesses, many of the people listening to the first panel leave, and no one wanted to get in anymore. If you needed to get in without waiting, you probably could have paid someone to save your spot, as there were three or four line-holders already at the door when I got to work at 9.
The rest of the day went pretty well, I entered some quotes (a job I had previously started that needs to be done every once in a while) and can proudly say we are up to over 900 quotes cataloged in our database since January 1st from the Chairman and Secretary Johanns, among other leaders in House and Senate, about anything agriculture-related.
A few of us went to a nice reception tonight, and while we were happy for the great food and refreshments, we got there right when they were starting the speeches. This turned our dine-and-dash into a support-and-stomach, as it was a smaller room and not easy to sneak out being one of the tallest people there.
I'm still outside, and will be until my battery gets low. I also found out that the Supreme Court has wireless internet on its steps, so I might wander up the street and research in front of the highest court in the land... speaking of, I just found out there is a full-size basketball court on the 3rd level of the Supreme Court (literally the highest court in the land since its on Capitol Hill), and my goal is to take (and make) a few shots before I leave.
3/12/07
Major Changes
Today was more of the same. Although I sound like I am bored and things are getting more and more stoic each day, I think its just part of the process with most internships, or starting any new job for that matter. I've gone over that initial hump of excitement, and the great things I experienced in the beginning are still happening, but I've begun to take them for granted. So, I tried to spice things up a little bit this week, by making some events to look forward to. I started planning a trip home some time around Easter, am thinking hard about changing my major (not just because nothing is going on at work), and set up lunch with my intern coordinator at the end of the week.
Because of the lull during our break periods (when we are not in session) my little vacation home looks like it's good to go. I am going to spend a little more money this time for a direct flight, because after last time, it's worth it.
My major change is also probably going to happen. I just look forward to animal science classes and briefings out here, more so than other parts of agriculture.
When I talked to our intern coordinator, he was up for lunch with the two interns, and then offered something even better. While we will still be having lunch, but he wanted to set up some meetings with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to talk to them about what they do, and how the people got to where they are, and what they want for the future (if you are part of one, and interested, shoot me an email). This will probably be one of the biggest reasons on whether or not we return to Washington, D.C. in my opinion, and I am really happy he is willing to try to set this up.
Late this afternoon, we set up for our Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee hearing which will be held tomorrow about Food Stamps. The nice thing about this subcommittee is that there will be enough room for all the members to comfortably sit in front of the room (there are only 11). I do not yet know whether people will be lining up early or not, but hopefully I don't have to explain the concepts of fire code or blocked viewing or I am an intern and would let you in if I could.
Because of the lull during our break periods (when we are not in session) my little vacation home looks like it's good to go. I am going to spend a little more money this time for a direct flight, because after last time, it's worth it.
My major change is also probably going to happen. I just look forward to animal science classes and briefings out here, more so than other parts of agriculture.
When I talked to our intern coordinator, he was up for lunch with the two interns, and then offered something even better. While we will still be having lunch, but he wanted to set up some meetings with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to talk to them about what they do, and how the people got to where they are, and what they want for the future (if you are part of one, and interested, shoot me an email). This will probably be one of the biggest reasons on whether or not we return to Washington, D.C. in my opinion, and I am really happy he is willing to try to set this up.
Late this afternoon, we set up for our Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee hearing which will be held tomorrow about Food Stamps. The nice thing about this subcommittee is that there will be enough room for all the members to comfortably sit in front of the room (there are only 11). I do not yet know whether people will be lining up early or not, but hopefully I don't have to explain the concepts of fire code or blocked viewing or I am an intern and would let you in if I could.
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